Biden Announces More Vaccine Incentives to Reach July 4 Goal

• As the fourth of July is getting nearer, President Joe Biden works to accomplish his goal of getting 70% of Americans vaccinated by that time.
• He announced several more vaccine incentives, such as free childcare for busy parents and free Uber or Lyft rides.
• Several states have offered lottery programs that give millions in cash prizes, and private companies have also offered freebies for vaccinated Americans.

President Joe Biden has announced more vaccine incentives in a bid to reach his goal of getting 70% of Americans vaccinated by July 4.

During Wednesday’s briefing, the president urged citizens to get the vaccine “so we can declare our independence from COVID-19, and free ourselves from the grip it has held over our lives for the better part of a year.”

Biden declared June to be a “national month of action.”

He stated, “We’re announcing a nationwide effort to pull out all the stops to free ourselves from this virus and get to 70% of adult Americans vaccinated. It’s going to take everyone.”

New vaccine incentives include a year’s worth of groceries, baseball tickets, and airline flights. Busy parents can get free childcare and anyone can get free Uber or Lyft rides to vaccination sites. The sites will also have 24-hour operations on Fridays.

There are also numerous freebies offered by several private companies. Cruise lines offer free trips, Microsoft offers Xboxes, CVS offers Super Bowl tickets, and Anheuser-Busch will offer free beer if the 70% mark is reached by July 4.

Several states have also launched vaccine incentive lottery programs that offer millions in cash prizes. Each week in Ohio, one resident wins $1 million and one teen wins a full college scholarship. California will have 10 winners of $1.5 million each. West Virginia offers millions in cash, hunting rifles and shotguns, hunting and fishing licenses, scholarships, getaways, and even trucks.

Biden implored Americans, “Each of you has the power to help us gain this freedom as a nation. If you get a shot this week, you can be fully vaccinated by the week of July 4th. And you can celebrate Independence Day free from fear or worry.”

At least 12 states have already hit the 70% milestone as of June 3, with more expected to hit the goal this week.

So far, the CDC reports that 50.8% of the total population has received at least one vaccine dose while 41% are fully vaccinated. Among those aged 12 and up and are eligible for a vaccine, 60.2% have had at least one dose while 48.6% are fully vaccinated.

Biden stated, “With 73% of Americans over the age of 40 with one shot, we especially need people under 40 to step up.” He then repeated the incentives: “Free childcare. Free rides. Free shots.”

Source: People